


there are three sides to every story

by wistfullywishing



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Established Relationship, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Art, Lust, M/M, Non-Graphic Smut, One Shot, POV Multiple, Poor Rin, Undecided Relationship(s), Unrequited Love, everyone is a hot mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8180120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wistfullywishing/pseuds/wistfullywishing
Summary: Rin has Sousuke's heart, but not his passion.





	1. Haruka

**Author's Note:**

> this is the beautiful art that inspired this work all credit to the artist
> 
> <http://wistfullywishing.tumblr.com/post/152186693945/beautiful-beautiful-art-that-inspired-there-are>

Why had he done it?   
  
Those were the words reverberating through his mind that night as he tossed and turned in bed.    
  
Not that he was surprised at the least. He'd been feeling the tension radiating off the other male for months and they'd both been teetering on the edge of the breaking point. As evidenced by his actions, Yamazaki had reached it first.    
  
But that didn’t excuse his own reactions to Sousuke. He had no right, no explanation for what had happened. More importantly, how could he ever face Rin again? His redhead childhood friend was on Cloud Nine; he was so in love. Everytime Rin talked about Sousuke, his entire stance lit up like a flower in the sunlight. And he knew Sousuke loved Rin, too. Even if it wasn't quite the same, the perpetually scowling male had a smile to rival Makoto's that he reserved for only Rin.    
  
So then, why had it happened?   
  
It had been after a joint swim practice, and everyone else had gone home. He usually would have walked home with Makoto, but Rin had specifically asked to speak with him about his placements in the upcoming regional competition. The redhead, Sousuke, and himself had been toweling off in the locker room when Rin had gone into a flurry, cursing about forgetting one thing or the other that he'd supposed to have done with his family tonight. The shark-toothed male had shot them an apologetic smile and rushed off after lightly kissing Sousuke's cheek, exchanging see you laters with his boyfriend and nodding at Haru. As soon as he'd gone, the air in the room had become stifling.    
  
Haru could feel Sousuke's eyes on him, boring holes into his back.    
  
He'd also known the taller boy wasn't going to make any moves. No matter how much he wanted him, he valued his relationship with Rin too much to do that. And he'd understood that and briefly wondered why he hadn't realized his lust for Sousuke sooner.    
  
Haru’s slacks were hanging low on his hips, the belt threaded through the loops but not buckled, and shirt had been half buttoned when he'd stretched his arms behind his head, welcoming the tension in his muscles melting away.    
  
Haru hadn't known why Sousuke had frozen on the other side of the row of lockers until he commanded his brain to give him a mental playback of events and realized, belatedly, that he had let out a small, yet borderline obscene, moan.    
  
In a flash, he'd found himself pinned to the lockers behind him.    
  
"Tease," Sousuke had spat.    
  
And then the rest was a blur for Haru. His erratic memory had flashes of rough lips claiming his own in an aggressive kiss, open mouthed presses to his jaw, down his neck, bites to his shoulder and collarbones, wet licks down his abdomen; somehow they had gotten from the wall of lockers to the cold floor. When Haru's back had touched the freezing stone, his brain had all but become fried egg. The rest was a whirlwind of pleasure and pain, his brain screaming more, more, more-   
  
After both of them had come down from their shared high, they'd lain side by side on the freezing stone without talking for a good ten minutes. Sousuke had been the first to get up, pacing around in search of his discarded clothing. Haru had just picked up his own shirt- taking note of the rip down the middle and several missing buttons- when Sousuke spoke.    
  
"Don't breathe a word of this to Rin."   
  
Haru had nodded. He hadn’t missed the fact that Sousuke had cried a name that was not his own at the culmination of their tryst. There was no need to ever bring up this incident again. Once was enough for both of them. The tension in the room had dissipated, and both males had walked out feeling a lot calmer than they had in a long time.    
  
Haru remembered thinking that it was strange that the door to the locker room was ajar when they had left. He could've sworn that Rin had closed it on his way out.    
  
In the aftermath, his feelings were a mess. It'd been good, better than either of them had anticipated, but he meant what he had said about once being enough. It would have to be. In the end, no matter how good it had felt, it was wrong. Yamazaki was not his. That was that. But, he contemplated as he felt a tear sliding down his face, had he somehow managed to develop feelings beyond those of lust for Sousuke?   
  
Haru had never been able to decide what he wanted.


	2. Rin

Why had he done it?   
  
Those were the words reverberating through his mind that night as he lay curled on his side in bed.    
  
Was he not enough for Sousuke? Of course, he'd been feeling something different for months, but he'd thought it was normal. With every couple, the initial explosive firecrackers eventually waned into something more akin to small sparks. They still loved each other. He could see it, feel it. What they had was something special.    
  
Though, if he was being honest to himself, he had felt the burning glances Haru and Sousuke had seemed to give each other whenever everyone hung out together. Thinking back, he supposed the lingering brushes, Sousuke's recent moodiness, how Haru seemed to tense up whenever the two were in the same room all added up. Had it been there all along? Oh god, maybe he was the fool for thinking that everything had been fine, good even. How could he ever face the two other males again and pretend that he hadn't walked in on them tangled up on the floor of the locker room with their hands all over each other? It wasn't as if his and his boyfriend's sex life had been bad. Both of them certainly always enjoyed it, and he always made sure that Sousuke got off first.    
  
So then, why had it happened?   
  
He thought back to after the joint swim practice. While everyone else had gone home, he had specifically asked to speak with Haru about his placements in the upcoming regional competition. Sousuke had stayed for whatever reason; he'd assumed at the time it was to wait for him, but maybe it was never the case. They had all been drying off in the locker room when his useless brain had decided now was the time to pipe up about it being his aunt's birthday and the fact that his Gou had texted him earlier about a family dinner. Sure enough, he'd dug frantically in his bag for his mobile phone, knocking several other things out in the process, and there had been 2 missed calls from Gou and another one from his mother. He'd pulled on his clothes as quickly as he could and shoved all of his scattered belongings back into his messenger bag. Before exiting, he'd lightly pecked Sousuke on his cheek, murmuring sorrys and I'll tell you about it laters and tipped his head in Haru's direction. He'd never have guessed in a million years that his boyfriend and childhood rival could possibly get up to doing what they had in his absence.    
  
Rin had gotten all the way to the bus station and was busy fumbling around in his bag for his transportation card when he remembered that it had fallen out during his panic and was likely still sitting on the floor under the wooden bench in the locker room. Cursing his luck, he turned around and resolved to pop in quickly and get it and then run back, since he had no other means of travel.    
  
He was panting as he reached the heavy door of the locker room. Rin pushed and as the door swung open silently, he immediately spotted the plastic card he'd all come all the way back to retrieve, peeking out from the bench on the next row of lockers.    
  
He'd just been about to round the corner of the row of lockers when he heard a moan. And then a crash against the lockers.    
  
"Tease," came from Sousuke's voice.    
  
And then towels were haphazardly tossed to the floor, and was that a shirt on the ground? Rin had just been about to make his presence known and demand what the hell was going on when he heard the unmistakable sound of sloppy kissing and heavy breathing.    
  
Rin froze.    
  
His eyes widened.    
  
Oh god, he couldn't move. He was stuck, rooted to the spot.    
  
It was all a blur for Rin. He stood there, pressed against a row of lockers, for what seemed like eons, listening to the exchanges of saliva and whimpering shared between two bodies pressed to the other side of the lockers. At one point he heard the thudding of bodies hitting the floor. What came after destroyed any positive emotion he had left; Haru's gasping was getting progressively louder as was Sousuke's groaning. He fled after that, wrenching open the locker room door, not bothering to hear the door click shut behind him, and running, running, running-   
  
If Rin had stayed a moment later he would have heard his name being torn from Sousuke's lips.    
  
Rin made it all the way home and managed to lock himself in his room before the hot tears began to splash down his face. He'd left his card and forgone the family dinner all together, instead choosing to run home.    
  
In the aftermath, his feelings were a mess. He'd made some lame excuse to his family and apologized profusely, but he caught the look from Gou that demanded further explanation. He'd ignored her and dashed back up into the stairs to mope in his room.    
  
How dare Haru? And how dare Sousuke?   
  
He would bring it up to Sousuke as soon as possible. But not tomorrow. They had plans tomorrow, and he was going to enjoy one more day of blissful ignorance. He would pretend everything was as it should be, if only to bask in the glow of adoration in Sousuke's eyes one last time.    
  
And the situation itself was bad enough, but why, of all people, why Haru? It figured that the one time Rin had been happy with where he stood, Water Wonder had to go and screw it all up for him. After everything, he still wasn't good enough. He choked back the sobs, willing his family not to hear.    
  
Rin had never been able to compete with Haruka. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the ooc-ness :/


	3. Sousuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's read this mess <3

Why had he done it?   
  
Those were the words reverberating through his mind that night as he sprawled in bed.    
  
No, he knew why. He'd been aching for months to elicit something from the stoic boy other than his usual direct aloofness. There was just something about the Nanase boy that he was desperate to eat up.    
  
But Rin.    
  
He loved Rin, he really did, but there was something he couldn't quite place his finger on that was just lacking. The sex was great; Rin always catered to his needs first, but maybe that was it. It was the absence of the fire he admired so much whenever they were in bed together. His best friend turned lover had always been of the romantic type, taking it slow and gentle. He needed it wild, wanted someone to yank on his hair and leave scratches all over his back-   
  
Wanted someone that wouldn't hold back like Nanase.    
  
Huh. Maybe he really was a masochist. He'd certainly gotten himself into a bind this time.    
  
Love wasn't their problem, that was for sure. And neither was physical attraction. There wasn't anything particularly wrong; maybe it was just that it wasn't quite right. But those were to be expected with any couple. His relationship certainly wasn't worth tossing over for a one-off.    
  
So then, why had it happened?   
  
He thought back to after the joint swim practice. While everyone else had gone home, he had stayed for Rin, and if he was honest with himself, for Nanase, too. They had all been drying off in the locker room when Rin had realized something or the other that he'd forgotten and all but flew out of the room after he'd said his goodbyes. And Sousuke had been pained, not trusting himself to be left alone with Haruka, but he didn't have a valid excuse to leave with Rin. He decided to finish dressing as quick as possible so he could get the hell out before he did something he regretted. Worked out wonderfully, he thought wryly now.    
  
Still, he couldn't help glancing at the other boy every once in a while.    
  
Which resulted in nothing but him gritting his teeth. If Nanase didn't quit dawdling and put his shirt on, Sousuke wouldn't be held responsible for his actions. He looked away, disgusted with his own traitorous thoughts. And then he promptly froze because Haru had moaned for whatever reason, and his body had reacted naturally.    
  
In a flash, he'd had Nanase pinned to the lockers behind him before his brain had even registered that he'd moved.     
  
"Tease," he snarled at the other boy and then proceeded to devour him.    
  
Sousuke couldn't remember exactly what happened, but he knew that he'd started his attack by shoving his lips against Haru's. He'd trailed his lips all over Haru's skin, pouring out every ounce of frustration that had haunted him for all this time. At some point he thought he heard a noise besides the moans Haru was making, but they had gotten from the wall of lockers to the cold floor and he pushed the thought out of his mind. When he'd collapsed on the floor on top of the other boy, whatever rational thoughts he might've had left were lost. The rest was a whirlwind of pleasure and pain, but for some reason all he could think was Rin, Rin, Rin-   
  
After both of them had come down from their shared high, they'd lay side by side on the freezing stone without talking for a good ten minutes. And then his brain had come back from vacation, and he'd realized exactly what had just happened. And he'd been panicking, pacing, thinking of what to say, and Haru had stood up, so he'd blurted the first thing that came to mind.    
  
"Don't breathe a word of this to Rin."   
  
He hoped Haru hadn't detected the pleading tone in his words. But Nanase had nodded, his face as impassive as ever, and he felt momentarily relieved. The tension in the room had dissipated, and both males had walked out feeling a lot calmer than they had in a long time.    
  
In the aftermath, his feelings were a mess. He was in lust with one guy and in love with another.  Never had he anticipated his love life coming to this. He'd hurt Rin, Nanase, and himself all in one stupid evening. And Rin didn't even know- yet. Sousuke knew he wouldn't be able to keep this a secret, regardless of what he'd said to Haruka. And yet, there was a part of him that had no regrets. He’d finally gotten a taste of what he’d been craving for months.    
  
It was liberating.    
  
But he always did this, didn't he? Failed to keep his ambitions under reasonable control and threw himself headfirst into trouble.    
  
Sousuke had never been able to restrain himself from going after what he wanted, even if it ruined him in the end.


End file.
